Funnel.



S PATENTED MAY123, 1905 W. T. TALIAPBRRO.

FUNNEL.

APPLICATION FILED um 24. 1905.

J j JNVENTOR.

" ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES:

' UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FUNNEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,463, dated May 23,1905.

Application filed January 24, 1905. Serial No. 242,579.

1'0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WHITMELL T. TALIA- FERRO, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFunnels, of which the following is aspecification. v

The invention relates to improvements in funnels; and it consists in thenovel features, arrangement, and combinations of parts hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and efficient funnelequipped with means for indicating when the desired quantity of liquidhas passed through the funnel. and into the vessel being filled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a funnel by which avessel may be filled entirely up to its full capacity without danger ofthe liquid overflowing, the funnel of my invention indicating the factthat the vessel has been filled.

In carrying out my invention I form the body and discharge-spout of thefunnel of sheet metal or other suitable material and impart to thefunnel at one side a straight edge, at which I provide a vertical glasstube having openings at both ends and containing a glass float, the saidtube extending substantially throughout the entire depth of the funneland being held in position by clamping vmembers, which will engage thetube at opposite sides and leave a vertical portion of the tubeexposedfor visualinspection, so that the userof the funnel may at anytime conveniently observethe position of the float within said tube. Ialso provide the spout and body of the funnel with index lines orcharacters to aid in filling the receptacle up to the desired level andto accurately indicate to the user when the proper quantity of liquidhas entered the vessel.

Theinvention will be fully understood from the detailed descriptionhereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a funnel constructed inaccordance with and embodying the invention, the discharge-spout of thefunnel being shown as inserted into the open mouth of a vessel which hasbeen filled, said vessel being broken away and the part thereof shownbeing represented in section. Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinalsection through the funnel. Fig. 3 is a like section through a portionof the funnel and indicates a modified construction of the lower endthereof. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section, somewhat enlarged, throughthe'discharge-spout of the funnel at a point slightly above the lowerend of same. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detached view of the glass tube withthe float therein and the clamping members for securing said tube, thefloat being. shown in vertical section and the glass tube and clampingmembers being shown as partly broken away and partly in section; andFig. 6 is a horizontal section through the funnel at a point above thedischarge-spout of same and indicates a modified arrangement of theclamping members whereby vertical sections of the glass tube are exposedboth within and Without the funnel.

In the drawings, 10 designates the body of the funnel; 11, thedischarge-spout of same; 12, the glass tube having openings 13 14:,respectively, at its upper and lower ends; 15, the glass float Withinsaid tube 12, and 16 the clamping members which engage said tube at itsopposite sides and maintain the same in position, the said clampingmembers 16 being secured to or formed with the inner side of thevertical edge 17 of the funnel.

The body 10 of the funnel extends laterally to one side of the verticalplane of the spout 11,- thereby forming at one side of the funnel thevertical straight edge 17, and within the funnel along this verticalportion thereof are secured the sheetmetal clam ping members 16,

which have a spring action toward each other and are formed on curvedoutlines in crossscction, whereby said members 16 are enabled to clampagainst and firmly hold the glass tube 12, which is inserted betweenthem. The

clamping members 16 may be formed from a I split tube, as shown in Fig.4, or the said members may be otherwise formed, as may be desired; buthowever formed said memhere will expose avertical section of the glassTOO ' latter.

tube 12, so that the position of the float within said tube may bereadily observed. The

tube 12 is a plain straight tube whose walls.

at the ends of the tube curve inwardly, so that the ends of the tube arerounded, and in these rounded ends are the apertures 13 14. The ends ofthe clamping members 16 lap over upon the rounded ends of the glass tube12, and thus aid in preventing said tube from moving vertically frombetween said members 16. The float 15 is inserted within the tube 12prior to the closing inwardly of the walls at the end of the tube, andsaid float is larger in diameter than the apertures 13 14, whereby thesaid float is prevented from escaping from the tube and is caged withinthe The aperture 14 admits the liquid to the tube 12 for positioning thefloat 15, and the aperture 13 constitutes an air-vent. The float 15 hasan enlarged body, from which the neck 18 extends upwardly and issurmounted by a bulb 19, as more clearly shown in Fig. 5, this bulb 19constituting the upper end of the float and beingthe part which the userof the funnel will observe in determining the level of the liquid withinthe vessel, which in Fig. 1 is indicated at the numeral 20. I employaglass tube 12 and a glass float 15, so that there may be no frictionbetween the surfaces of the float and the tube and so that float may beobserved in its movement along said tube.

I provide along the exterior surface of the spout 11 a series of spacedannular lines or ridges 21, which may be marked, if desired, withnumbers or other indicating characters,

- and along the inner surface of the body of the funnel I provide acorresponding series of lines or ridges 22, which may be correspondinglymarked by numerals or other indicating characters, if desired, and theseindicatinglines 21 22 serve to aid the user of the funnel inascertaining when the proper quantity of liquid has entered the vessel.The funnels will necessarily be employed in connection with vesselswhose mouths will vary in size. and hence in the employment of thefunnel the spout 11 thereof will not always be at the same depth withinthe vessels, by reason of which it is necessary that the user of thefunnel should be able to know in the varying positions of the float dueto the varying depths the spout may be introduced into the vessel whenthe vessel has become full, and it is for this reason that I provide theindicating-lines 21 upon the spout and the complemental lines 22 withinthe receiver or body of the funnel. In the position of the funnel shownin Fig. 1 the lower end of the spout up to the line 1 extends into thevessel 20, and under this condition the vessel will be indicated as fullwhen the upper end of the float is in alinement with the line 1 of theseries of lines 22. In the employment of the funnel with a vessel havinga larger mouth than that shown in Fig. 1 the 5 spout 11 might enter thevessel up to the line 4 of the series 21, and under such condition thefloat would ascend to the line 4 of the series 22 at the time the vesselbecomes full. The funnel of my invention is thus applicable of use inconnection with vessels having mouths varying in size and receiving tovarying depths the spout 11 and still accurately indicate to the user ofthe funnel when the vessel is full, it only being necessary for the userto observe the depth to which the spout 11 may be inserted into thevessel and then see that no more liquid is poured into the vessel afterthe float ascends to the proper indicating-line 22 within the body ofthe funnel. The lines 21 22 may be as long or short as may be desired;but it is better that they be of suflicient length to be veryconveniently observed.

In Fig. 3 I illustrate a modified construction of the lower end of thespout 11 in that I provide in said spout a cap 24 to receive the loweropen end of the glass tube 12, this cap 24 being open, as at 25, at theside of its lower end to admit the liquid for elevating the float 15.The cap 24 aids in holding the lower end of the tube 12 and constitutesa continuation of said tube to the lower end of the spout 11.

In Fig. 6 I illustrate a further modification of the structure in that Iform the clamping members 16 integrally with the body of the funnel,whereby the glass tube 12 maybe exposed to view both from the inner andouter sides of said body, the formation of the members 16 in the mannerindicated in Fig. 6 leaving a slot 26 in the outer wall of the funnel inline with said tube.

I regard the exposure of the glass tube 12 at both the inner and outersides of the funnel to be of very great advantage,not only because ofthe convenience of being able to observe the float from either of twodirections or of having one person watch the float while another ispouring into the funnel, but by reason of the fact that in suchconstruction the light may pass through and illumine the glass tube andrender the float readily observable, which is of importance at alltimes, and especially when using the funnel in a not very well lightedplace or when a dark liquid is being poured into the funnel.

For some special uses I propose to make the entire funnel of glass.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A funnel having a body and spout, said body being set off laterallyof the vertical plane of said spout whereby the funnel is given astraight edge at one side, and the material forming said body having anopening in said side, combined with a vertical tube along said straightedge and extending from said spout upwardly along said body and oversaid opening therein and being transparent where it may be observedwithin said body and from without the same at said opening, and thefloat IIO within said tube, said tube having an air-vent and an openingat its lower end and being exposed to View within said body and also,through said opening, from the outer side of same; substantially as andfor the purposes set forth:

2. A funnel having'a body and spout, said body being set laterally ofthe vertical plane of said spout, whereby the funnel is given a straightedge at one side, combined with a vertical glass tube within the funnelalong said straight edge and having an air-ventin its upper part and anopening at its lower end, the float within said tube, and the clampingmembers secured to the funnel and engaging and holding said tube, theside of the latter being exposed; substantially. as set'forth.

3. A funnel having a body and spout, said body being set off laterallyof the vertical plane of said spout whereby the funnel is given astraight edge at one side, combined with a vertical 'glass tube alongsaid straight edge and extending from said spout upwardly along saidbody, and the glass float within said tube, said tube having an air-ventin its upper part and an opening at its lower end, and also having itsside exposed so that the position of the float therein may be observed;substantially as set forth.

the latter ascends therein to positions along said bodyindicating-marks;substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of 45 day of January, A. D. 1905.

WHITMELL T. TALIAFERRO.

Witnesses:

OHAs. (J. GILL, ARTHUR MARION.

New York and State of New York, this 23d

